Apple Drops $149 Price Tag of Milanese and Leather Loop Apple Watch Bands to $99 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Drops $149 Price Tag of Milanese and Leather Loop Apple Watch Bands to $99

Alongside the announcement of the Apple Watch Series 5 yesterday, Apple has now updated the price on some of its high-end leather and metallic bands.

new band prices
Specifically, the original $149 price tag of Leather Loop and Milanese Loop Apple Watch bands has now dropped to $99. This means that they're only $50 more expensive than Apple's cheapest Sport Bands and Sport Loops, which cost $49.

Leather Loop is now available in Meyer Lemon, Black, and Saddle Brown; it only fits 44mm Apple Watch cases. Milanese Loop is available in Silver, Gold, and Space Black; it can fit both 40mm and 44mm cases.

Apple has not dropped the price of the Modern Buckle any further, although at $149 it is still $100 cheaper than it initially was at launch. Hermès bands are as much as $539, and the Silver Link Bracelet is $349, while the Space Black Link Bracelet is $449.

More information about the new Apple Watch Series 5 can be found in our full launch post on the new wearable.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Series 10 Jet Black Touch ID

Apple Watch Series 12 Launching in September With These New Features

Monday July 20, 2026 1:00 pm PDT by
With the Apple Watch Series 12 now just two months away, we have created a recap of rumored new features, with some more likely than others. Below, we have outlined everything rumored so far for the Apple Watch Series 12. More Likely New Chip After One-Year Hiatus While the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3 all contain the same S10 chip as the previous...
apple watch rescue

Apple Shares Apple Watch SOS Success Story

Tuesday July 21, 2026 9:26 am PDT by
Apple today highlighted the SOS feature in the Apple Watch, publishing a short video featuring a man named Phil, who crashed while mountain biking. Phil was biking with his two young children when he had an accident and was knocked unconscious. His Apple Watch detected the fall, calling emergency services and alerting his wife. He ended up breaking his collarbone and seven ribs, but was...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

What to Expect From Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4

Sunday July 26, 2026 8:07 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 this year. Spoiler alert: not very much. While it was rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch Series 12, Gurman said he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models. Touch ID probably counts ...

Top Rated Comments

90 months ago
Actually, if you go into the apple studio and design your series 5, you can upgrade to the Milanese loop for just $50 more.
My faith in humanity has been lost in this forum.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justiny Avatar
90 months ago
MacRumors news forum members complain of Apple’s prices, insist TC is evil and demand his exit from the company.

Apple cuts prices.

MacRumors news forum members continue to complain of Apple’s prices, insist TC is evil and demand his exit from the company.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
90 months ago
Apple tweaked it so that the clasp DOES come out completely. The original Milanese clasp can’t fully come out (which I prefer). Not sure why they changed it.
So it would lay flat on the AirPower charging mat...

...oh But haha
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PickUrPoison Avatar
90 months ago
My faith in humanity has been lost in this forum.
If a $50 Apple watch band triggers you, the $539 Hermès band would probably cause a complete collapse. :eek: Medic!!

:D
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
User 6502 Avatar
90 months ago
If a $50 Apple watch band triggers you, the $539 Hermès band would probably cause a complete collapse. :eek: Medic!!

:D
I suspect the lost faith is due to the fact that replacing the default $49 band with a $99 band of course costs ‘just’ $50, so there isn’t any discount or reason to be surprised. It’s just basic maths.
[doublepost=1568213215][/doublepost]
Something amazing is happening at Apple, price cuts on the iPhone 11 (vs XR), price cuts on two amazing watch bands, and very affordable pricing on Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade. I need to use this to my advantage. ;)
all it’s happening is that sales are down and they need to lower prices. About time.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justiny Avatar
90 months ago
I found the Milanese loop on Amazon for $15 to be adequate... is the quality on Apple's that much higher?
I have some genuine bands and a ton of Amazon and eBay knock offs. In my experience, the knock offs are always adequate in the beginning but do not age well. They just don’t have the same quality of the genuine ones. Of course, YMMV.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)